Tag Archives: faith

Choosing to Believe God

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The people refused to enter the pleasant land,
for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.
Psalm 106:24, NLT*

The Psalmist is recapping Israel’s history, and this verse refers to the first time God brought them to the edge of the Promised Land, when they believed a frightening report of the dangers ahead instead of remembering how God had kept them safe thus far.

“They wouldn’t believe His promise to care for them.” I’m sure that’s not how they saw it. They’d probably say they were being realistic, facing facts. After all, the scouts reported giants in the land. What chance did they have?

They forgot they had God on their side. The same God who’d broken Pharaoh with plagues and destroyed his army after parting the Red Sea. The same God who’d given them water in the desert and daily bread from heaven.

The same God who disciplined them when they disobeyed or got too demanding.

They forgot. We do, too.

All-powerful and holy God, Your promises are true and Your hand is mighty to defend us. Forgive us for the times we trust our own eyes and ears instead of trusting Your word. Help us remember what You’ve revealed about Yourself, and  help us choose to believe You.

∞

Jeremy Camp’s song, “Walk By Faith,” is a good reminder for us.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

5 Links on Anxiety, Plus a Song

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Replace anxiety with trust

Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. ~Philippians 4:6, CEB*

Here are some links I’ve found recently that can speak peace to anxiety:

From author Dan Walsh: Living and ‘Staying’ in Today, and The Slippery Slope of Anxious Thoughts.

From Roy Lessin at Meet Me in the Meadow: Fret-Buster 104 looks at some of the costs of anxiety.

Guest-posting at The Write Conversation, Reba J Hoffman shares 4 insights that can help us stop giving in to fear.

At A Word of Encouragement, Laura Hodges Poole talks about Life’s Dark Hallways.

And take time to listen to Peter Furler‘s song, Hold On. 

*Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

When Joy is Scarce

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You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
I will praise you with songs of joy.
. . .
Because you are my helper,
I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 63:5,7 NLT*

Joy has been scarce in my heart lately, and I’ve felt more like David’s “parched and weary land.”

These two verses from Psalm 63 are my antidote, if I can let my mind and spirit truly believe them.

God satisfies. He is enough, and abundantly more than enough. That negates the joy-drain of discontent. I need to practice intentional gratitude, not just for His gifts but for who He is.

God helps. He is our ever-present helper and sustainer, and His strong hand holds us securely.

That truth eliminates anxiety, if I really believe it.

God who is all that I need, I believe. Help my unbelief. Help me realize, accept and rely on the truth of who You are and what that means in my life. Help me live confident and secure in You, aware of the many ways You satisfy and delight. 

∞

God used the Newsboys’ song, “The Letter,” to challenge me about believing what He says. 

*New Living Translation (NLT)Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Doing Life God’s Way

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He led me to a place of safety;
he rescued me because he delights in me.
The Lord rewarded me for doing right;
he restored me because of my innocence.
Psalm 18:19-20, NLT*

My Bible has a note that this psalm is what David sang to God in celebration, when God rescued him from King Saul. Saul had been hunting David a long time, and would have killed him to keep the throne.

God had anointed David as the new king, to replace Saul. David believed it, but he wouldn’t fight Saul and refused to kill him when the chance presented itself. As verses 21-22 say, David did it God’s way, trusted God to fulfil His promise, and would not harm “the Lord’s anointed one”.  God put Saul on the throne, and David waited for God to take him off.

I think this is the “doing right” and innocence David speaks of here. Everyone sins and misses the mark of what God has for us, and I don’t think David was claiming perfection. But in the long hiding from Saul, he resisted the temptation to do it his way and waited for God.

That’s what God rewards. How we conduct ourselves on the journey is perhaps more important than reaching the end. There’s more at stake than we see with human eyes.

Sovereign God who builds up and takes down, we praise You for the plans You have for each of us, plans for a future and a hope, plans of promise. In our times of stress, help us remember to choose Your way over any short-cuts or schemes that our human nature may suggest. Help us live worthy of the Kingdom.

∞

Here’s a classic Petra song to remind us to walk by faith, “Not By Sight.”

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

5 Links to Rest Your Soul

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Photo credit: Janet Sketchley

Here are five posts that have spoken peace to me recently. Enjoy!

From Mary DeMuth at Live Uncaged: Free People Rest. Do You?

From Carolyn Watts at Hearing the Heartbeat: When You Wake Empty and The Only Safe Place to Start Your Week.

And from Emily Freeman at Chatting at the Sky: 5 Ways to Breathe in a Breathless World and  The Kind of Faith that Changes Your Life.

Related articles

Words of Power

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In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:16-17, NLT*

Last week had a few not-so-fun-or-glowing days. Things weren’t going the way I wanted. Unvoiced expectations were not being met. And my lingering writer’s identity crisis flared up again.

I spent a lot of time saying “I have a good Shepherd. It’ll be okay.” And as long as I kept saying it, things weren’t so bad. Forget for very long, or go back to thinking about whatever grievance or glum thing was flavour-of-the-moment, and the gloom descended. My poor family!

Words make a huge difference, if we listen and believe them. We know that about negative comments and self-fulfilling prophecies, but sometimes we forget the positive side of our words. Not in the speak-what-you-want-and-it’ll-be-yours way, but in the remind-yourself-of-God’s-truth way.

Creator God who spoke us into being, thank You for words of truth and healing. What You speak is true. Give us faith and help us remember to use Your Word as our shield of faith and our sword to fight.

∞

The song “Everything Falls,” by Fee, helps us hold onto truth whether our struggle is life-shaking or the day-to-day “things” that wear at us.

* New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Convinced that God is Able

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[Abraham] was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.
Romans 4:21, NLT*

Abraham’s faith wasn’t passive belief. It was belief with obedience. Active faith.

Secure faith, anchored in God’s character and ability.

Sometimes the tricky part is discerning what God has promised. I’ve prayed for at least one person who was sincerely positive God had promised her physical healing … yet she died. And she knew how to listen to Him.

Then there are other times when we see something we want in Scripture and interpret it to fit our desires.

But God has given plenty of legitimate promises – in writing – that we can rely on no matter what our circumstances.

He loves us. (John 3:16)

He will cleanse and forgive us when we bring our sins to Him. (1 John 1:9)

He will always be with us. (Matthew 28:20)

He will give wisdom when we ask. (James 1:5)

He’s our source of mercy and grace in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

And many more. These are things we can be fully convinced God can and will do. Remembering and relying on His promises changes how we react to our circumstances and lets us walk in victory instead of defeat.

God who is our Refuge, our Strong Tower, we would be nothing without You. You created us, You save us, and You sustain us. We believe; help our unbelief. Help us grow in faith to become fully confident like Abraham that You can – and You will – do all that You’ve promised, in Your way and in Your time.

∞

FFH sings “God of the Promise”.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Jesus is in My Boat (re-post)

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[Jesus] then left [the Pharisees], got back in the boat, and headed for the other side. But the disciples forgot to pack a lunch. Except for a single loaf of bread, there wasn’t a crumb in the boat. Jesus warned, “Be very careful. Keep a sharp eye out for the contaminating yeast of Pharisees and the followers of Herod.”

Meanwhile, the disciples were finding fault with each other because they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus overheard and said, “Why are you fussing because you forgot bread? Don’t you see the point of all this? Don’t you get it at all? Remember the five loaves I broke for the five thousand? How many baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”

They said, “Twelve.”

“And the seven loaves for the four thousand—how many bags full of leftovers did you get?”

“Seven.”

He said, “Do you still not get it?”
Mark 8:13-21, MSG*

The disciples have a loaf of bread. Jesus has recently demonstrated that He can multiply a little food to feed a lot of people. Yet they’re hung up on not having enough.

But Jesus is in the boat with them! If they stop to think, they’ll realize He’s all they need.

Many times I feel inadequate or uncertain about situations, afraid I’ll mess up or won’t do well. That fear can freeze me up and become self-fulfilling. I feel alone.

These verses tell me something precious: Jesus is in my boat, and He’ll be all I need.

Whether it’s energy, love, ideas: whatever’s needed, no matter how small my loaf, I need to offer it to Jesus, and to remember what He can do.

Father, I know You promised to never leave us, and You’ve given us the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts. Forgive me for the times I panic and believe the enemy’s lies. Thank You for using these verses to finally help me see I’m never alone. Help me remember and be confident in the truth that Jesus is in my boat, and that He is enough.

Our song this week is my prayer: “Presence (My Heart’s Desire)” by the newsboys, from their Devotion CD.

*The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

[This is a re-post from 2009, but I needed to read it again.]

Trusting God’s Love

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Immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us.
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it.
Ephesians 2:4, 5a, 7, 8 MSG*

What amazing love is this, that “where God wants us” is close to Him, in restored relationship! And that in patience and grace He will take the time to train us, heal us and shape us into the potential He’s set within us.

He saved us, He is saving us, He will save us.

The “all we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it” is that simple and that hard. Choosing to trust God’s love, and that He’s shaping us even through the things we don’t like, is a hard obedience. It’s “a long obedience in the same direction.”

God who is Peace, the perfect peace of completeness when we’re in relationship with You, thank You for a love beyond what we can imagine. Thank You for rescue and for renewal. Help us, deep in our spirits, to know and rely on Your love and to trust You enough to let You work in us.

∞

Let Matt Redman’s song, “Never Once,” remind us to trust.

*The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Belief and Unbelief

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I’ve posted recently about believing the truth of God’s Word rather than our feelings or our circumstances: Believing the Truth and Handle with Care. This is one of those slow-learning areas for me, where I keep needing the message reinforced.

God has been doing that very nicely through a couple of Violet Nesdoly‘s Other Food: daily devos posts, and I want to share the basic nuggets here and encourage you to read her full entries if you haven’t already.

In Doubt, skepticism (a.k.a. unbelief), Violet looks at the sin of unbelief–and its consequences. Then she challenges:

I ask myself, do I as a believer in Jesus live a life characterized by belief or unbelief? What about you?

Her Clay Backtalk post includes this insight:

Being content with our lot in life, including our physical appearance and the strengths and weaknesses with which we were born, is part and parcel of our confidence/belief in God.

It’s so easy to forget to believe, as silly as that sounds. To forget to act on what we believe. To begin to complain or criticize our Maker. I’m thankful for these reminders to live like what we believe is true–because if we’re believing God, it is!